Arranging the music of 2 songs...

Whether you're single or have a special someone, there's nothing like a little Shariq Ansari to make your Valentine's Day that much sweeter. Nine out of ten doctors agree that bringing Shariq into your homes - and hearts - improves health, increases quality of life by at least 140%, and adds that little extra "spark" you've been looking for. True. DarkeSword follows up his Metroid Prime 3 ReMix from December with his first '08 stuff, a mellow groove on Angel's Fear and Into the Thick of It from Secret of Mana, which seamlessly blends both themes into an upbeat but gentle electronica piece. Syncopated electro-drums are the most aggressive element, but never get too edgy, as their percolating riddims form the underbelly of a melody-driven arrangement that's breezy and pleasant. Strings, calliope-type leads, and Riq's modus operandi, bells, are all present and accounted for, but none of them overpowers or outshines the others, leading to a very stable, egalitarian, and comforting consistency throughout. Gated, cross-panned synths are a nice add, deep sub bass is beefy without intruding (especially nice line starts at 1'33"), and a variety of fx and additive/subtractive techniques are employed to aid with transitions. Not too much else to say, really - a very pleasant new age electronica hybrid that integrates two classic Kikuta tracks quite enjoyably. The ReMix equivalent of long stem roses and some smooth Godiva chocolates.

Among everything, the melody that starts before 2:00 is my
favorite part. The feel is totally different than the original,
and I love how that was done.

Overall, the melodies themselves aren't changed, but the textures
and everything else create a totally new feel for the tracks.
That's the charm of this mix. I think the mix is very well done.
Great job.

I always look forward to hearing the quality of DarkeSword's
ReMixes, and this one is no exception. Nice choice of melody. The
song flows smoothly from beginning to end. I got a little bored
from 2:20 - 3:00, but the rest of the song makes up for it. The
introduction and conclusion of the song were quite epic, and the
interesting drums throughout only add to the overall beauty. Nice
work.

Two of my favorite source themes in one track is a great way to
get my attention, and the treatment of both is excellent. I
really like Darkesword's style, and here it seems he has a few
Ziwtra-esque flourishes in a few places, making the already
potent track even better.

Great soundscape and instrument choices. I love the bells and
string accents, and the slightly crushed beats and synth gate
gives a great feeling to the whole mix.

The arrangement progresses pretty well and picks up a bit of
energy at the end, though the ending itself was a little rushed I
thought. It is a proper ending rather than a blatant fade, but I
think a little additional interest is in order.

I really like how the song keeps pushing forward and pulling back
in the quiet sections. I too was a fan of the mild dissonance
(seemed to fit the song), and I absolutely love those shimmering
strings that show up every few measures - very chilling effect.
This is great, DS.

Pretty nice work. I like the liberties with the flute lead around
1:50-2:15, that's beautiful stuff. I like the bass and drums too.

I wouldn't mind if the mix had taken a bit more time to develop
certain transitions. The intro for example - I could've taken a
few more bars establishing the mood and have the melody enter a
bit later than right at the start. Another point is around 03:00
- the Angel's Fear theme begins a couple of bars too soon. But
that's just me - other people probably appreciate getting
straight into business.

I'll be keeping this one, it's a good mix of some of my favourite
originals.

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